“Zoe & Zak and the ghost leopard” by, Lars Guignard

Zoe Guire and her Mom have traveled to India for business. When they get there Zoe finds that Zak Merril, a boy from her school, has also traveled to India with his Dad. (The kids’ parents sometimes work together.) Normally this would be a good thing but Zoe and Zak aren’t exactly friends and Zoe finds herself feeling annoyed. Zoe makes a promise to her Mom to be nice to Zak but she doesn’t know how much trouble that promise is going to get her into. With evil monkeys, magic carpets, and a ghost leopard to save, Zoe and Zak are in for the adventure of their lives.

                I found “Zoe & Zak and the ghost leopard” to be a very fun start to a series that young readers will love. The characters are sweet and realistic, and the setting is unique. I liked the way that Zoe taught Zak to be more cautious and Zak taught Zoe to enjoy the fun in life. (The author also included many fun facts about India.) This story has some wonderful secondary characters that were full of personality. It also had some nasty bad guys (nothing too scary). 

I think that readers will really enjoy the adventure, danger, and magic in this book. I did find the writing style a little rough at times but overall it flowed well. Like I said above, this is just the first book in the Zoe & Zak Adventure series and I am very excited to see what adventure the kids go on next.

“Zoe & Zak and the ghost leopard” is available as an ebook and a print version. 

Lars Guignard's Page